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7th Grade  Project 2 weeks

Character Quest: Overcoming Obstacles, Achieving Goals

Christine Foster Peter Lynch
Christine Foster, Peter Lynch
Updated
W.7.2
W.7.5
W.7.1
WCA.6-8.2
6-8.WCA.2
+ 5 more
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The Challenge

You depend on professionals and other community members to meet critical goals despite emergencies, limited resources, changing conditions, and unexpected setbacks; failure can affect public safety, health, infrastructure, and community well-being.

Challenge Question

What community members overcome challenges to achieve goals?

Standards

  • [Massachusetts] W.7.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts (e.g., essays, oral reports, biographical feature articles) to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
  • [Massachusetts] W.7.5 - Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
  • [Massachusetts] W.7.1 - Write arguments (e.g., essays, letters to the editor, advocacy speeches) to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
  • [Massachusetts] WCA.6-8.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
  • [Massachusetts] 6-8.WCA.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

Competencies

  • Build Community - Advocate for myself and others (BC.2)
  • Learn with Purpose - Develop a plan to pursue a goal (LI.1)
  • Learn with Purpose - Reflect (LI.5)
  • Learn with Purpose - Engage in discussion (LI.4)
  • Engage In Inquiry - Develop an inquiry plan (EI.2)

Learning Partners and Clients

The local fire department can share how firefighters adapt plans during emergencies. The local police department can discuss teamwork, persistence, and problem-solving in public safety. Medical professionals can describe how they overcome setbacks while caring for patients. Local engineers can explain how they revise designs and use their strengths to solve community problems.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can analyze a timed obstacle scenario and community-professional stories to identify the challenges people face, trace possible root causes, and generate questions about how ingenuity and perseverance help them reach goals.
Examine
I can develop an inquiry plan and interview questions that investigate how firefighters, police officers, health workers, and engineers respond to setbacks. I can engage in an interview, advocate for my group’s questions, and record evidence about each professional’s obstacles, adaptations, strengths, and results. I can compare interview evidence to identify common causes, effects, and strategies for overcoming challenges.
Engineer
I can develop a community-facing informative article by organizing interview evidence, explaining how professionals use persistence, adaptation, and strengths, supporting conclusions with clear reasons and examples, and strengthening the writing through peer revision and editing.
Do
I can test whether my article clearly and accurately informs readers by collecting feedback from peers and an interviewed professional, analyzing patterns in their responses, and applying the findings before publication.
Share
I can share my published article, evidence-based conclusions, learning journey, and reflections about how I planned, persevered, adapted, and grew through an interactive community reading and question-and-answer session with professionals, families, and peers.